The Story:
Chapter 1, Olympic Pizza, introduces us to the slow malaise that has culminated in the droning disaster that is present day Mount Olympus.
Mortal man's population has been continually increasing and so has his appetite for land and profit. All inhabitable regions on Earth have been saturated with human beings and man's footprint has stomped its way to heaven's foothills, Mt. Olympus.
Complaints from his concubines about living conditions on Earth led Zeus, king of the gods, to allow a few, then many, to take up residence on the peak. Hephaestus, god of technology and opportunist at heart, lobbied to have the blessed slopes of Olympus opened to the mortal public. A bored and not ungreedy Zeus agreed, his eye enticed by the seeming wealth of western culture and blind to the rape of Gaia, mother Earth.
Now, the mortals have taken over Mt. Olympus. Cars, trucks, earth-devouring machines, all tear at the ground in the name of progress. Vacation homes, high rises, golf courses, all sprouting up like acne on land that used to be Holy, revered, the object of sacrifice. Both Hermes and Zeus independently seek a return to antiquity, when mortals and gods lived apart and their land remained divine. Temperamental Zeus soon grew tired of the novelty of having men live by his side. Zeus craves the control he once had in this new society totally overrun by mortal culture. Man has built another metropolis on top of everything that is sacred, destroyed all greenery, and disrespected the divine past. The Gods are marginalized, treated as a strange minority left over from a half believed past.
The only God who is enjoying this new world is Hephaestus, craftsman and god of technology, steel, and fire. His business is booming and his pockets getting fat. He has found meaning and success in this new world and wouldn't give it back for anything, almost.
Hermes, the messenger god and present day pizza delivery boy, has only two things on his mind these days: saving this mountain from the weed-like beings, and impressing Aphrodite, who happens to be Hephaestus' wife. He never liked the idea of inviting mortals on the mountain. He's been pushed back, to live in the dark corners of the world, delivering pizzas to his mortal neighbors. Hermes hasn't delivered a single decent message to anyone in centuries, just pizzas. Hermes longs for the old world when his values and virtues were honored, when he had a chance to impress Aphrodite, when things were simple, and sacred.
Zeus, king of all gods, has been losing power ever since he allowed man to set foot on his sacred mountain. Now, Zeus, aware of this love triangle, plots and schemes and uses Hermes and Aphrodite's love affair as a way to trap Hephaestus into giving up his power.
Zeus reignites the love affair by luring Hermes to Aphrodite once again. Hephaestus meets with Zeus and they have a boiling argument about technology on their beloved Mt. Olympus. After Hephaestus refuses to back down, Zeus steps it up a notch. The only way for him to get his power back is to take something of value from Hephaestus. Zeus misleads Hephaestus into hiding Aphrodite away for a few weeks. Hermes joins in on the jealously. Fueled by the slow boil of centuries of malaise, Hermes finally decides to take action and chases after her.
The mis-motivated Olympic brothers battle each other leaving Aphrodite as the soul casualty on the coral.
Hermes escapes unharmed as a chorus of doubt and confusion rings in his head. Hephaestus soon realizes the error of his ways and falls right into Zeus trap - he pleads and begs to get Aphrodite back. What will he trade? Anything, everything. Zeus uses this leverage to take technology away from him, and from the world.
Zeus gives back Aphrodite, but at the cost of Hephaestus's power. Everything shuts down; cars come to a screeching halt, blackouts, planes falling from the sky, utter chaos, and back to the ways of old Mt. Olympus.
Driving up the winding highway, paved over his mountainside, Hermes' truck stalls. Everything gets quiet. He begins to walk, then run, remembering his strenth. Remembering that he's a god as he is forced to use his own powers. His winged feet are fast and he feels finally free for a moment.
Hermes, however, is still at a loss. Everything shuts down, everything starts from scratch. Hermes finally made a bold move and he killed the one thing he loved. Now all he has is the mountain, his other love, but his heart is filled with hate, and Olympus is full of confusion and chaos now.
But it's a transition, and Zeus cut a deal with Poseidon who sent back Aphrodite from the sea once again. She's out there somewhere, and so is the key to sustainability. All that's left is to run.
To be continued... in the next chapter which is "Utter Chaos."
Utter Chaos:
